Renegade III: Gathering Storm
by zog the angry chipmunk
Summary: Renegade and the Toa face off with their most powerful opponent yet.  T for violence
1. Battle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle. Bionicle, Lego and all associated trademarks and copyrights belong to the Lego company.**

Renegade's and Xeon's drone armies fought fiercely, but were still losing. Shadow Xeon was taking on wave after wave of the creatures, but he was still tiring. Xeon's tanks were being trampled by the seemingly invincible dark tanks.

The creatures were apparently the most dangerous. Called Doomsdays by their creator, they were vicious warriors. Each was roughly the size of a Toa, and solid black. They had the heads of Rahkshi, claws like no creature Xeon had ever seen, Midak Skyblasters. They also had two shields. One was a heavy solid black circle; the other was a silver razor edge. They also had wings that looked like Toa Matau's Aero Slicers.

The sky was dark with storm clouds as Operation: Shadowstorm beat back the Toa. Seemingly invulnerable tanks blasted dozens of Renegade's and Xeon's troops. Doomsdays slashed and clawed in a seemingly unending field of shadowy troops. High above, impossibly maneuverable ships slaughtered the Toa's aircraft, and came within inches of destroying airborne Toa. Renegade looked up with worry. If Operation: Stormbringer went awry, the other Toa would be destroyed.

R

X2 and Rogue, the twin fighter ships owned by Xeon and Renegade, respectively, flew over the battlefield. It was so obscured by smoke that their sensors could barely detect the rocky plain below. The brown, dry dirt was hidden completely by the mass of warring beings. X2 banked sharply, followed a second later by Rogue. Specter, the enemy air commander, burst out of the cloud bank. The black and silver flier was far more maneuverable, faster, and better armed than even the advanced Toa fighters. X2 made a kamikaze run at Specter, only for the silver-black ship to turn sideways and roll away from it. Rogue exploded out of another cloud bank, coming straight out in front of the moon. It tried to hit Specter with laser fire on its bottom, only for Specter to pull an impossibly tight banking maneuver and shoot straight at it. The two both went sideways, the bottoms of the two craft touching as they flew past. X2 flew after Specter, only for the dark ship to make a special maneuver with its wings. It hit a straight up position instantaneously, sending out a visible wave of air in front as it shot straight up.

As the Toa's craft followed it, it pulled another maneuver and shot straight down while rolling. A spiral of lasers streaked through the night, shooting straight through Rogue and X2. The ships' computers downloaded onto backups at the base, right before lasers streaked through them. The heat finally caught up with the attack, and both vehicles exploded. Debris shot out to the sides, creating a flowering appearance. There were two huge fireballs, and the ships vaporized. Specter burst through the flame, raining fire onto the warriors below.

R

Renegade saw the two jets explode. He tossed a bomb, clearing a place in about the center of the battlefield. His extra armor began to peel away from his shoulders on down, pipes detaching from him until he had his original appearance. He stepped down from the stilt like boots, and the armor began to rewire until it was complete without him. Following an artificial intelligence program, it resumed the fight. Renegade flexed his muscles, now able to move freely. A sub-nuclear generator powered his jet pack as his wings adjusted for flight.

Renegade soared into the sky, shooting down any enemy fighters he came across. With Stormbringer delayed, he had to take matters into his own hands.

Renegade had annihilated dozens of the shadowy enemies, but they kept coming. Renegade activated a boost, breaking the sound barrier in a split second. His sonar searched for the well-known energy trail. Then he saw his target. Specter. The ship got its supernatural maneuverability from wings made of dozens of rods rather than solid sheets. This dangerous ability meant that even Renegade had to be careful.

The Toa and ship met in midair. Renegade wanted to get to know the ship's defenses before striking, so he tried to provoke it. He threw an antimatter bomb, which couldn't penetrate the molecular bond the ship's armor had. Renegade flew at it again, this time with electrified claws outstretched. The ship tried to shoot him, but he was fast enough to dodge. He impaled his claws right in the nose, and the ship's momentum dug his claws in. He began to slide, claws leaving trenches in the bottom of the ship. As the current increased, the metal began to heat up. Renegade activated electromagnets on his feet, and freed his hands to pry open the gouges. He made a good sized hole in the bottom and jammed an antimatter bomb into the core of the ship.

R

Xeon looked up to where he could see Renegade attacking the bottom of Specter. There was a sudden flash. When Xeon's vision cleared, Renegade was gone.

**Confused? More will be revealed in later chapters.**


	2. Rewind

Xeon had disappeared into the warehouse again. Renegade wondered what it was this time. Xeon currently had a private fleet of jets, some tanks, and even a bionic add-on to boost his speed and stamina. He had even managed to outdo Renegade with the Artificial Intelligence, or AI, programming.

Renegade didn't mind, though. Right now, they had to deal with their enemy. Ever since the attacks had started, the Nuva had been acting strangely. All of them had, really. It was their most crushing defeat yet, and they hadn't even seen their attacker. All they knew was that it had a Rahkshi head, claws, weapons, and anger management issues. It could apparently leap right out of shadows and solidify, then turn into just absence of light when attacked. Only Aurius and Takanuva had been successful fighting them, but even then it was limited to driving them off. Renegade, of course, was working on a laser to incinerate them.

R

Xeon was on guard duty. Renegade's laser had worked, and they had captured one of the attackers. Xeon's Ivax identified it as a Doomsday, an experiment by the Brotherhood of Makuta to make more powerful Rahkshi. The prototype had gone rogue after a raid by some Toa, and the experiment abandoned, until now. They had now discovered a way do defeat the creatures. Even better, Xeon's new project was complete. It was a drone shaped like him, with EMP power simulating magnetism and an internal database acting in place of the Ivax.

Xeon was near the end of his shift when he saw a being on the horizon. Blue, cleaner-cut than a Doomsday, it carried only twin bladelike weapons. As it approached, Xeon could make out more detail. It was burnt with shadow blasts and was hurt badly. Xeon could make out the shine of a jagged capital X on its chest.

R

The being threw his weapons on the ground and collapsed. Xeon electronically notified Renegade and went out to help. As he lifted the being with magnetism, Xeon got a look at them. Despite battered and blackened armor, Xeon recognized him. Shadow Xeon.

Xeon brought his shadowy double into base. Laying him on the medical table, Renegade's medical drone did a scan. Shadow Xeon suddenly jolted upright. The other Toa who were in the room jumped as the Shadow Toa sat up. "He's gone mad! He'll destroy everything!" Shadow Xeon said.

"Who will? What are you doing here?" Renegade asked. Shadow Xeon was in a force field, but Renegade still pointed his weapon. Shadow Xeon didn't answer, instead holding up a tablet. It stated that he wished to join the other Toa, and his reason to.

"Oh, no," Tahu breathed, looking at the tablet in disbelief.

"But that's impossible! He's dead!" Pohatu looked disbelieving. They all did.


	3. Gone

Xeon blinked, trying to see if Renegade was falling. But there weren't even any debris, just more clear air. Xeon noticed a Doomsday approaching from behind. "I've had enough," Xeon snarled. He punched the creature in the chest, and then used magnetism to send a massively powerful bolt into it. It exploded instantly. "Does anyone else want some?" Xeon looked around. "No? Too slagging bad!" He sent out a blast of electromagnetism that simultaneously electrocuted all of the enemies nearby.

R

"He's good." Shadow Xeon remarked. He had been fighting alongside Hydrix when they had seen the electromagnetic wave.

"So am I." Hydrix cut a Doomsday cleanly in half, and then sliced another with a jet of concentrated water.

"So is the big bad." Shadow Xeon, nicknamed Noex, drove his weapon cleanly through a Doomsday.

"Why don't we just call him what he's named?" Hydrix asked.

"Sound frequency tracker. Say his name, and he hears. As Renegade would say, so that we don't get blown up and die." Noex continued mowing down the Doomsdays. Then he got an idea. He pulled metal from the ground with magnetism and attached the bits to his arms. He flattened and bunched them together, forming razor-sharp disks. He started to slash wildly, shredding any Doomsday within arm's reach. He blasted out a clearing with a combination of this and his Shadow power.

"Aww, next time I want a turn!" Hydrix had finished decapitating the solid shadows on her side, and was now forming bubbles of water to focus light on the enemies.

"You're deranged." Noex said quietly.

R

Kryx and Nuika were also fighting together, doing fairly well thanks to Kryx's mask. He used Telekinesis to blast away Doomsdays, and then shielded the two from attack. "Who do you think it is?" Kryx asked, blowing away another Doomsday. The other Toa hadn't mentioned their mysterious enemy by name, simply using the term that Noex had created, 'the big bad'.

"Don't know. Tahu looks worried, though. I haven't been able to get a mental reading, but I keep seeing weird memories. Like this one with a Rahkshi standing over some Ta-Matoran."

"Whoever it is, I don't like them." Kryx dropped the shield and pulled in a Doomsday, then punched it until it dissipated.

R

Klurus, Kopaka, and Arak were working together against two red Doomsdays. The red model was more powerful, and Noex said that they were dubbed Tempests. In addition to shadow powers, they could use electricity, become intangible, and use low-frequency sonic blasts. They could also summon storms. The thunder and lightning, which were actually the sound blasts and electricity, were proving far more dangerous than the Toa had first suspected. "Let's end this," Arak said.

"Right. You would wait till now to tell us that the last few minutes risking death could be ended by you. You're a regular genius." Klurus snapped.

"Don't be a dolt. We, unlike you, use something called planning." Kopaka said. "What's the plan?" Arak gave a smirk.

R

The three Ice Toa behind the ice barrier were weakening. The Tempests pressed on, blasting gaping holes in the ice. They didn't notice Arak using his mask to get behind the two, until he announced himself. "Boo." The two turned, but were blasted in the faces with spikes of ice. Arak landed twin punches in their chests, sending both flying. Klurus stuck his hands through the battered ice barrier, annihilating both with shadow.

"We win." Kopaka said. He walked over to the nearest Tempest, watching as it dissipated.

R

The Toa had managed to fight off the Doomsdays and tanks, while the sky was cleared by Xeon's fliers. They regrouped at their base. "Wait a minute," Aquaris said. "Where's Renegade?"

**Review if you want to find out who the mysterious 'Big Bad' is! And special thanks to InTheLight for reviewing all of my stories! :-) **


	4. Gigabyte

Renegade looked around. He had been captured, somehow, and had awakened here. He was chained to a wall in a dark stone chamber without his weapons. The scattered remains of Rogue littered the floor. A tall, powerful being that looked vaguely like a Glatorian stood over him. The figure was in pitch black armor, with flaring orange accents. His black cape dragged on the floor as he walked over to Renegade. Glowing green eyes stared down. "Let's talk." The figure said. Renegade looked at him.

"Go jump in an acid lake with a lead floaty." Renegade said.

"Idiot." The being held out his black hands to the floor. An arch wave, one of the most powerful attacks in existence, shook the ground. Renegade took the full force of the energy stream. "Can we talk now? I'm Cydrix. Pleased to meet you."

"I can feel a sucking vacuum between your ears. I said go away." Renegade said.

"My commander will not be pleased with that answer." Cydrix created two arch wave disks and cut Renegade's chains.

"You can tell your commander to go for a group swim with you in that acid lake." Renegade said. Cydrix slapped him with the back of his hand, sending an arc jolt into him. Renegade crumpled.

R

"That's all I saw." Xeon finished his story of Renegade's disappearance.

"Sounds like a teleportation disk," Onua said.

"They don't flash," Cilix pointed out.

"Renegade most likely used a bomb just as the teleportation software sensed him." Onua said.

Aquaris cleared her throat and said, "That part isn't important. The question is, where is he now?"

R

Renegade wasn't happy at all. Cydrix had basically dragged him across the floor to the 'commander', but he wasn't there. So Cydrix had contented himself with chaining Renegade to the ceiling and shooting at him. Finally, Cydrix became bored and walked out. Renegade turned and managed to find a crack in the rock. He stuffed a small device into it.

R

The Toa were discussing a plan of action when they heard a rushing noise. Xeon, using the lookout post's technology, found the source. It was a somewhat odd-looking silver jet, clearly of Renegade's design. It had strange bulges, and had an unusually large and tall main section for the smallish wings. Xeon noticed one other thing; the jet was about the size of a Toa.

As they got closer, they could see more detail. It was obviously s fighter jet. Two razor ridges stuck off the back, ending in electric-based launchers. It had VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing) engines, and an advanced-looking fuel cell. Mounted on the front was a silver Mask of Regeneration, much like the one worn by Toa Norik. The eye holes had a dark blue glow, the only spot of color on the shining silver craft.

The craft touched down and the parts began shifting. First, the mask bent down. Then, the ridges folded upwards and twisted until they lay straight out behind the craft, still upright. The bulges and VTOL engines folded backward as well, and the Toa slowly began to realize just what Renegade had done.

The ridges and attached motors moved forward and pushed it onto the pieces sticking back. The two supports folded tier ends to form flat bases. The bulges now looked far more organized, as did the VTOL engines. The ridges and attached appendages folded forward. One raised and five fingers appeared around the sword, scraping dirt away from the mask. It was mounted on the front of the ship, sticking out above the hydraulics and protosteel beams. As it relaxed into a less stiff position, the blue, which was eyes, looked at them. The rest of it, now unfolded, was obviously a powerfully built robot. It was shaped like a Toa.

The gleaming silver Toa smiled. "I guess it would look pretty weird to you guys. Sorry for the scare, Renegade wanted me to rendezvous with you ASAP." He looked thoughtful, and stuck out his hand. The ridge, which was an electric broadsword, was mounted on his back. He shook the three leader's hands. First Tahu, then Xeon, and last Aurius. "I'm Gigabyte. Renegade built me."


	5. Reunion

Cydrix entered the throne room, looking up at his prisoner. He blinked, not believing what he was seeing. Renegade had somehow not only escaped, but carved a crater into the roof. Cydrix flew up and examined it closely, finally noticing some kind of bacteria was eating the stone. The bacteria were starting at one point. Cydrix brushed =away some of the bacterial residue, revealing a small packet in the stone. He dropped to the ground, looking irritated. Then he heard gunshots.

He dropped, forming a shield around himself with arch energy. When the gunshots subsided, there was a message carved with bullet holes in the wall. It was a smiley. Below it there was text reading 'Have a nice day!'

Cydrix stalked into the next room, growling. He'd been unable to find Renegade. This called for two things; delegating and hoping. "Axera!" Cydrix called.

"Yes?" The blue being walked in.

"The prisoner escaped. Find him." Cydrix's green eyes glowed ominously.

"Done. Oh, by the way, Cydrix," Axera walked over to him. She grabbed his throat and lifted him into the air by his neck. "You don't give orders." She dropped the orange and black warrior and waved a hand at the door. A blast of magnetism shattered it, leaving only scattered remains. She cocked her launcher and readied her twin blades.

Cydrix rubbed his neck. "When this is over, we'll see who's giving the orders." He walked back up the tunnel to tell his commander the bad news.

R

Gigabyte had helped the Toa locate Renegade, and they were now standing on the roof of a massive underground base. "Why don't I go first?" Aurius asked.

"Because we don't have a plan yet!" Takora gave her a 'duh' look.

"So?" Aurius asked. Xeon slapped his forehead.

"Okay, enough arguing. Can't we all just get along and kill some bad guys?" Noex asked.

"Let's go." Tahu said. Onua, Pohatu and Iruk used tier powers to dig a hole open. However, it was slow going. Their enemy had set up traps and security measures.

"This is taking too long," Gigabyte complained.

"What do you think we should do?" Iruk asked angrily.

"This." Gigabyte said. He sent a signal into the sky.

"What did that do?" Noex asked. Suddenly, a massive beam of light hit the ground and punched through in a fraction of a second before dissipating.

"Cool!" Noex, Xeon, and Aurius all said at once.

"This is quick-setting a sorry-bad example." Rak said to Lewa.

R

Xeon dropped down into the hole and rolled as he landed, coming up in a battle stance. The others filed in behind him, Aurius being the last. Xeon looked around, seeing no one. "Hold it, I hear something." Noex said, bringing the others to a halt. It was faint, just a subtle breathing sound. Suddenly the silence shattered as air, ice, water, fire, stone, and light blasted the Toa.

"What does this remind me of?" Xeon asked, stopping a light blast with a mirror-like wall of metal.

"No clue," Noex responded, cancelling out a shadow attack with his own. Suddenly, six figures landed. They were coated in shadows, but it was obvious who they were.

"Man, they never learn, do they?" Aurius asked as her shadowy self appeared from the darkness.

"Go figure. I mirror you," Shadow Aurius said. "And this time, we're not alone." More figures appeared. A black Glatorian with orange armor highlights, a large, almost Titan-class blue and silver being, a silver-black figure with a Krana-like mask, and Renegade, in handcuffs.

"Guys, get out now!" Renegade warned them.

"Too late," a voice growled from behind them. In the darkness, a colossal figure appeared. Red eyes shone on the Toa. "Hello again, Tahu." came the rumbling voice of Makuta Teridax. The Master of Shadows stepped into view.

"Aw, slag," Xeon said.


	6. Rewind 2

"We're slagged," Xeon said. He was talking about Renegade. Ever since Noex's revelation about Makuta Teridax, Renegade had been experimenting with new techniques for waging war. He'd settled on a powerful armor suit that could carry him, somewhat like an Exo-Toa. It had Snyper 296 missiles, a Gatling machine gun, a custom rocket launcher that Renegade had dubbed the Big Bang missile system, and an artificial intelligence that allowed it to act without Renegade in it.

"I'm not that bad," Renegade protested. He tested the suit's rocket and annihilated one of the sleeping quarters. "Oops."

The suit was powered by arch waves, a whole new technology with massive potential. Unfortunately, Renegade could only get so much. The special energy reproduced in power, making it ideal for energy. But if it was destabilized even slightly, it created a massive explosion. It was so destructive that even Renegade's technicians couldn't make a weapon out of it, at least without mutual annihilation of both the enemy and Renegade.

R

Elsewhere on Spherus Magna

The Element Lords of Water and Ice were at war, with the Element Lord of Fire incoming. Suddenly, they were all blown back with massive force. A massive black and grey titan was standing there, power radiating from him. The Lord of Water tried to flee, but the colossus vanished and reappeared in front of her. The being landed a blow on her chin, flinging her backwards at speed. She crashed into a mountainside and went still.

The titan stormed over to the remaining two, grabbed both their throats, and lifted them into the air. He threw them to the sides and kept walking, towards the mysterious area known as Bota Magna. Trailing after him were six figures, each with an X carved into their chest. The Lord of Jungle began to follow, but a blast of shadow flung him back.

"Truce?" The Lord of Fire asked, embedded in the rock face.

"Definitely," the Lord of Water said as she climbed out of the hole in the glacier she was in.

R

The Toa had been discussing an attack plan when the subject of powers came up. "Wait," Renegade said abruptly. He dashed out of the room and reappeared a moment later. In his hand was a tablet labeled 'Vahamak'.

"Wait, I've heard of that. But it's beyond theoretical, it's a myth." Tahu said.

"What is it?" Arak asked.

"The Vahamak is the essence of power. It's like a mask, but it's so powerful it must be worn as a full armor suit. It's a purely theoretical combination of the Kanohi Olmak, the Kanohi Vahi, and the Kanohi Ignika. Like I said, it would give the wearer tremendous power."


	7. Rewind 3

"You think Teridax will try to make the Vahamak?" Gali asked.

Renegade nodded. "If what I believe is true, he may already have. The most powerful masks function in pieces, as I'm sure your Turaga have told you. A chip of each, melted down and mixed into armor, will create the Vahamak. There is one way to disable it; take a piece of armor containing the Vahamak. The power will route to the chip, but it cannot be used without the rest of the armor or it will not only destroy the wearer, but practically the whole dimension."

"That seems trouble-bad." Lewa said.

R

Teridax was leading the Shadow Toa to Bota Magna when he noticed something. "Where is the seventh?" he boomed, turning to the Shadow Toa. The shadow Arkah looked at each other.

"Xeon's gone!" Aurius realized.

"Like I care. He was never good in a fight." Cilix muttered.

"Hush up, we're here." Klurus said. The Shadow Toa had arrived at a massive stretch of nothingness.

"Wow. This is incredible! Not…" Aquaris said disgustedly.

"This is where the Vahi landed after I removed it from the Matoran Universe. It was among many powerful objects I launched to this planet so that I could rule unchallenged." Teridax explained.

"Jeez, couldn't you have launched it to some really awesome place like Bota Magna?" Rak complained. "Or maybe a history book factory, even that would be less dull."

Teridax ignored the complaint and started looking. He located a sliver and picked it up. "The last piece," he said.

R

"Remind me why we can't just bomb everything?" Renegade said.

"Because you said yourself that Teridax has the Vahamak." Xeon answered.

"I said we can take away the power by breaking his armor!" Renegade said.

"Just stop complaining. It's right there." Xeon pointed at a spot a little distance away, near the giant robots that had been universes.

"That's where the Mask of Life fell."


	8. Getaway

The damp, fungus-scented cave held an unusual sight; three Toa Kaita battling a titanic Makuta and another Kaita. Six Toa were engaged in combat with another six who looked exactly like them, and four Toa were dueling with a pair of Makuta named Ripax and Vizik. Takora's Kaita suddenly dropped to the ground with an earth-shattering crash, felled by the combination of Cydrix, Axera and the white guard, Renik.

"That's it," Renegade growled. "Get them to the surface." Although he spoke in a low tone, it still carried to all of the fighting Toa.

"Easier said than done." Xeon said, making another vicious slash at Vizik. Noex had created metal armaments across his body, making him nearly untouchable. However, it wasn't holding well against the Makuta's incredible powers.

"Come on!" Renegade said to Gigabyte. Gigabyte smiled and jumped at Renegade, enveloping him in a bear hug. However, Gigabyte's body folded and expanded instead of staying solid, becoming Renegade's suit. "Oh, yeah," Renegade said. He unleashed a barrage of weapon fire on the Shadow Arkah, downing them all.

"I'm sure glad he joined us," Tahu commented. With the Arkah's enemies down, the tide of battle slowly turned in the Toa's favor. They managed to get into the open.

"Now what?" Xeon asked. The only remaining enemy was Teridax, but the sheer power from the Makuta was easily holding his enemies at bay. Suddenly, Renegade snapped both arms forward in a sharp waving motion. Three jets streaked overhead, launching missiles. The weapons detonated in front of and on Teridax's massive frame, rocking the titan. The smoke left an opening that the Toa used gratefully.

R

"What now?" Xeon asked as the Toa walked.

"We survived, _barely_, today. If we're going to stop him from using a Vahamak, we need an army." Renegade said, not looking back.

"There are only about forty Toa accounted for still alive. We don't have a full military unit, let alone an army." Tahu pointed out.

"Exactly." Renegade didn't explain his comment at all as they walked. Suddenly, he pulled out both plasma rifles and shot at the ground. The superheated gas blew a hole, revealing a glint of gold. "Don't touch," Renegade said as Takora moved to grab it. He used a missile from Gigabyte to blow the area clean, yet the gold remained intact. With the dirt gone, it was obvious what it was. As Xeon walked around it, he saw the face. It was the Kanohi Ignika, the Mask of Life and the single most powerful mask, aside from the Vahamak, in existence. It gleamed in the sunlight.

Renegade walked over to it, and without hesitation, put it on.


	9. Comeback

Renegade's body began to glow, but it didn't disintegrate. On the contrary, it seemed to double in size before splitting. Renegade was suddenly flung out of the glow, no longer wearing the Mask of Life. However, the other half, which had become recognizable as a golden-armored body, was seemingly attached to the Mask.

"Ow…" Renegade said.

"What's going on, Renegade?" Tahu demanded. He gestured at the golden figure. "Who or what is that?"

"Mata Nui." Renegade said.

"What?" Xeon asked.

None of the Toa had brought it up, but it had been almost thirty years since anyone had last seen Mata Nui. The mask that had housed him had vanished some time ago. But as the glow faded, all of them could see Mata Nui standing there, looking just like thirty years ago.

"W… where am I?" The being asked.

"Told you." Renegade grinned at the other Toa.

R

"WHERE IS IT?" Teridax boomed, startling Axera. She and the others had been staring at a map with various diagrams, equations and estimations.

"I'm afraid we don't know, sir." Cydrix said. The orange and black warrior turned to address his superior, only to receive a massive punch that sent him flying.

"I told you to locate the Mask of Life. It is the final component in the Vahamak. What part of this do you fail to grasp?" The Makuta asked.

"None, sir. It's just that… the Mask has disappeared."

"Correction," Axera said. "The guy wearing it has disappeared."

R

"So, explain the laser thing Gigabyte did." The Toa were at their base, discussing the mission.

"Well, Xeon, do you know what a satellite is?" Renegade asked.

"It's a machine that floats in space… You didn't." Xeon looked at Renegade.

"I did. I built a satellite laser grid around the planet. They're powered by dark energy, so they never lose power."

"Cool!" Aurius said.

"Remember what I speak-said earlier?" Rak asked Lewa.

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been busy. I set up a web site and a Twitter account, all while dealing with homework and chores. You can see the site on my page.**

**Please review!**


	10. Storm

Renegade sprinted down the tunnel, followed by the Toa Avix. The Arkah were staying on the surface, guarding. "Initiate," Xeon muttered. A breathing tube snaked around his head, coming to rest over his nose and mouth. The other Avix followed suit. Xeon had designed the tubes to let them breathe in the Pit. Renegade, with his advanced armor, didn't need to.

"Who are you?" The Toa's progress was halted by a giant black and silver being with a massive array of weapons and an unusual mask. The being was pointing a Cordak blaster at them.

"Allies, Hydraxon." Renegade said. "And allies who need your help."

"Why should I believe you? Count yourself lucky you aren't dead yet." Hydraxon said, not lowering his Cordak. Renegade looked annoyed, and then motioned to Xeon. Another blue being came from the tunnel. She was tall and had unusual armor, and looked disturbingly frail. But Hydraxon immediately saluted her.

"Do what they say. The rest of the Order's in." Helryx said.

R

"DO IT." The tone was powerful enough that the being didn't have to appear. He did, though. The red, black and grey titan stepped out of the shadows, revealing his gleaming claw curled into a gleaming, deadly-looking fist.

"Fine." The three-legged warrior stepped away from his arch-enemy and walked into a back room.

"A wise choice, Shadowed One." The colossus said the name sarcastically. "And remember, I want your warriors. You will stay out of my way."

"Right." The Shadowed One walked to the stadium and made an announcement.

R

"What's happening?" Mata Nui asked.

"Nothing big. A war between an organization devoted to you, working with around four dozen Toa, battle Makuta Teridax and an army of Dark Hunters."

"Renegade, stop scaring the Great Being." Xeon said.

"I'm not!" Renegade said. "There is a war."

R

It didn't look like much, just a few stray gusts of wind. Two armies apparently motionless. In the middle of the battlefield stood Renegade and a giant colossus. "Move, Toa." Teridax ordered.

"Make me. Your army is as stuck as mine." Renegade smirked.

"Fine." Teridax growled.


	11. Eruption

Neither army dared move. The two warriors in front of them were both immensely powerful, far above almost anyone else. Renegade and Teridax circled, gauging each other's possible weaknesses. Teridax struck first, landing a massive bolt of chain lightning across Renegade's chest. Renegade flipped over the strike and retaliated with plasma and shrapnel bursts. Teridax didn't even flinch. The deadly attack came within inches from his armor, but abruptly disintegrated. "Not good," Renegade snarled. He launched a massive missile, but Teridax waved a hand and it vanished. "Not good at all." Renegade muttered. Teridax sent a wave of darkness at Renegade, who countered with antimatter detonators. That was when all Karzahni erupted around them.

R

Xeon struck first, downing the lead Doomsday with a clean swipe. Axera countered with a burst of magnetism, and now the two were attempting to annihilate one another. Rak and Iruk were locked in combat with their shadow doubles, using their enemy's numbers against them. Aurius was dueling with the orange and black Cydrix, whose arch waves were easily blocking the golden warrior's attacks. Renik, the white warrior, was fighting using deadly lengths of chain to immobilize and attack enemies from a distance, using massive blasts of heat and ice to keep others from countering him. Takora was using his element in the extreme, sending waves of lava from beneath the surface to crush Teridax's forces.

Renegade could smell the tinge in the air from repeated blasts of chain lightning as he lay on the ground. His nerve endings had long ago stopped sending normal signals, so he'd switched off the armor connections that gave him the ability to feel. This didn't change the fact that he was unable to fight, though. The electric was overloading his armor. He knew he'd regret it, but Renegade made a decision. He called for help.

R

"Don't let up!" Helryx shouted.

"Guess what? I won't! I don't want to die horribly!" Xeon snapped. Axera was not letting up either. The two were now trading close-range magnetic bolts, and even with Xeon's skill and training in the Dark Mirror, his opponent was seemingly an even match. She seemed to know all the tricks he did.

Aurius was down, and Cydrix was now fighting Hydraxon, Axonn and Trinuma all at once. As he flipped over a tossed dagger from Hydraxon, he was also using an arch wave shield to deflect Axonn's blow.

This isn't good at all, is it?" The powerful, clawed gold and black being asked.

"No, Mata Nui, it isn't." Tahu answered. The Toa Nuva of Fire was not pleased at all. Their archenemy was out there, and Renegade wanted them to sit behind a rock. The ex-Toa had said that they had to keep the Mask of Life out of Teridax's hands at all costs. Suddenly, a black figure soared overhead.

R

Tuyet wasn't happy. Teridax was not the problem, though. The problem was the being in front of her. "You wanted to rule the world with a big rock?" the being asked.

"The Nui stone. That's irrelevant." Tuyet handed him a tablet.

"Oh slag."

R

Makuta Teridax stopped as he was about to finish off Renegade. What looked suspiciously like him stood there, white arms crossed against a white chest. "What is this?" the Makuta asked Renegade. The being on the ground smirked.

Makuta Teridax looked at his towering black, grey and red double. Being from another dimension, (A/N see , story Brothers in Arms) he was unused to himself being evil. The black being smiled suddenly. "Oh. It doesn't matter. I can crush you anyway!" The white Makuta was thrown to the ground, picked up, and thrown again. He lay still.

R

Renegade smiled again. Teridax was no longer advancing. Renegade watched, still smiling, as Xeon defeated Axera with a wave of his hand. A blue jet appeared and shot Axera enough times to keep her down. The jet streaked over Teridax, showering him with a rain of lasers. Teridax was again unmoved. The bleak plane the war was being fought on was suddenly littered with parts from the jet.

**Author's Note: The end of Book 3 is coming. Just two chapters left until Renegade: Endgame! Watch the trailer at .com and clicking the Exclusives tab.**

**For the story after Endgame, suggestions are welcome. ****Please.**


	12. Late

As Renegade lay on the ground, watching the battle around him, he decided to think about what Teridax's ultimate plan was. Even the Vahamak wasn't worth this. Renegade only knew one mask that was. It didn't have an actual name, it was just a theory he had thought up.

The theory was this; if almost anything made of Protodermis could me melted into a mask or other object, then the Vahamak wasn't the ultimate power. Nothing would be until every object of even miniscule power was melted into it. This seemingly impossible task could be cheated though. The only object in existence that would allow the Vahamak to absorb power from others, though, was the Nui Stone. He sent an urgent message to Tuyet, hoping he wasn't already too late.

R

"What was the point?" Xeon asked, struggling against Teridax's magnetism.

"To what? Are you going to launch into one of your 'heroic' rants?" Teridax chuckled.

"No. Just, why didn't you wait till the items were unguarded? Why not just go after them without waging war?" Xeon wondered. He suddenly stopped resisting, instead just dropping to the ground. Teridax's hold released, and Xeon celebrated by jumping into the air, flipping, and landing a two-footed kick to Teridax's chest.

"Because you have no hope of beating me anyways." Teridax wasn't winded. He struck back quicker than Xeon could compensate for and threw the Toa to the ground. Xeon flipped instead of falling and came up in a battle stance. Teridax chuckled darkly at the Toa's efforts. This one alone was giving him almost as much trouble as Tahu's entire team the first time they had fought. It didn't matter. Teridax knew he would win.

R

"Just a few more moments…" Renegade said to himself. Tahu should be gone, and the Vahamak wouldn't function without the Mask of Life that Tahu's team had. He summoned Gigabyte while Xeon had Teridax distracted and combined with the silver drone. He stood up and rebooted his armor, repairing the software damage. Suddenly, the battlefield quieted. Teridax's forces had won.


	13. Dark

Renegade looked around. It was just him and Xeon. There were others standing, but they were surrounded. "I want the mask." Teridax loomed over Xeon and Renegade.

"Sir…" Teridax turned to see Cydrix holding Tuyet. "The other component." He handed Teridax the Nui Stone.

"Slag slag slag," Xeon said.

R

The Toa stepped backward as Teridax prepared another strike. Ever since Teridax had received the Nui Stone, they were on the defensive. Teridax was closing on the fleeing Toa and the mask, though. Xeon was about to take a hit, but slapped his arms to his sides and sent a bolt of magnetism into the ground to boost himself up. The magnetized dust left a slight indent in the ground. The stunt didn't do as much as Xeon had hoped, though. Teridax waved his hand and Xeon was flung through the air. He crashed into a wall, groaned, and lay still.

R

"We're slagged." Tahu looked over his shoulder as Xeon was brought down. Renegade was fighting bravely, but he wasn't making much progress. Teridax was now focusing fully on him. Suddenly, a blanket of shadow enveloped Renegade. He was gone. Tahu felt it a moment before he saw it; Teridax teleported and landed in front of him. The titan's huge claw sunk into his shoulders and lifted him into the air, flinging him against a wall.

He struggled, but could barely keep his eyes open. He watched helplessly as Teridax used his enhanced powers to down the rest of his team, until only Mata Nui remained. Teridax had his claw around Mata Nui's torso. The other hand reached up and pried Mata Nui's mask off of his struggling form.

The last thing Tahu saw as he faded into unconsciousness was Teridax dawning the Mask of Life.

_Epilogue_

The hooded, cloaked figure walked through the dark, the mist shrouding around him and obscuring the color of his large armored feet. The Rahkshi walking with him was also seemingly colorless. The cloaked being stopped. It turned its head in the Rahkshi's direction, gleaming yellow eyes showing under the hood. "We're close." The Rahkshi nodded.


End file.
